Dr. Christopher Bowie used his 2007 NARSAD Young Investigator Grant from the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation to conduct a study that shows how different types of psychological therapies for schizophrenia can be combined in a way that results in improvements in everyday functioning. His study article (published Jul. 1, 2012) was designated on Dec. 12, 2012, as an American Journal of Psychiatry (AJP) “Editor’s Choice” for the year—a recognition of the significance of the scientific discovery as well as the eloquence of the written findings.

Remission from obvious schizophrenia symptoms such as hallucinations and delusions is often a first step as patients seek to recover their functioning in the community. Difficulties with cognitive abilities such as memory and attention often persist and make it a challenge to work, live independently and socialize. The age at onset can make it difficult to acquire these skills that are often picked up in early adulthood.

“We discovered that cognitive remediation improves cognitive abilities like attention and memory, but this therapy is much more likely to result in improved functioning if it is followed by a skills training psychological intervention that uses teaching and role playing to improve social and adaptive skills,” says Christopher R. Bowie, Ph.D., C.Psych., Director, Cognitive and Psychotic Disorders Laboratory and Associate Professor, Departments of Psychology & Psychiatry, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada. “The skills training intervention alone is less effective, and its effects are less durable, if cognitive issues are not dealt with first.”

Article comments

This is great. I had the benefit of CBT training and my own self-prescribed regimen of book reading and newspaper reading to work on my cognition, so I didn't exactly have cognitive remediation. But I had something like it. Now I could benefit from some skills training. I'll have to read the paper!

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